Barcelona will make the long-awaited return to Camp Nou on November 22

Barcelona will finally return to the reconstructed Camp Nou stadium against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on November 22, the club said on Monday, after more than two years in exile.

Since the stadium closed at the end of the 2022/2023 season, the Catalan giants have been forced to play elsewhere, mainly at the Olympic Stadium on the city’s Montjuic hill.

A series of delays means Camp Nou will reopen a year later than originally planned after a 1.5 billion-euro ($1.75 billion) transformation that was beset by construction chaos.

Barcelona will open the stadium with a temporary capacity of 45,401 spectators, with room for 105,000 when the top level is completed.

READ: FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying tournament: Nigerian coach claims “voodoo” by DR Congo staff during penalty kick loss

They opened the stadium earlier in November for 23,000 fans to watch a training session as a test event in the reopening process.

Barcelona are also hoping to get the green light from UEFA to host Eintracht Frankfurt at Camp Nou in the Champions League on December 9.

The Spanish champions were forced to play two matches at the 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff training stadium in the opening weeks of the season after failing to obtain the necessary permit for Camp Nou for security reasons.

The previous version of Camp Nou was built in 1957 and had a capacity of 99,000 people.

Barcelona plans to add a roof to the stadium, which will be installed in the summer of 2027, a year later than the expected completion of the project.

Published on November 17, 2025